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The trouble with OpenBTS

"OpenBTS is clearly an interesting project; who wouldn't like
the potential of rolling their own cellular phone service? There
are a number of potential applications, including special events
like Burning Man, the creation of personal "femtocells," or the
ability to explore how cellular handsets interact with base
stations. The biggest target application, though, would appear to
be the provision of inexpensive cellular service in parts of the
world where the cellular industry sees no money to be made. In the
rural parts of the developing world, potential customers simply
cannot afford to pay normal cellular rates, and carriers fear that
low-cost offerings, beyond being unprofitable, would endanger the
higher rates charged in the cities. Using systems like OpenBTS,
cheap hardware, and some interesting business models, it may well
be possible to bring phone service into these areas in a way which
is simultaneously affordable and acceptable to the large
carriers.

"So what is the problem with OpenBTS? One might think that an
obvious trouble spot would be regulatory: spectrum for cellular
services tends to be scarce and expensive. It is true that one
cannot set up an OpenBTS station in the attic and expect to be left
alone, but it also seems that the regulatory issues can often be
dealt with, especially in places where cellular coverage does not
exist. The real issues come from a different, all-too-familiar
direction: "intellectual property" law."